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4 Scientific Literature Review for Establishing the Status …
4.3
The Use of Fossil Fuel-Based hydrogen in the Industry
4.3.1 The Production of Ammonia
Ammonia has been produced since the 1020s based on the Haber-Bosch process
(IEA 2017). The process consists on synthesizing reacting atmospheric dinitrogen
with hydrogen in the presence of iron at high pressures and temperatures (N 2 +
3H 2 ↔ 2NH 3 ). Originally designed to provide raw material for explosives to be
used in weapons, the Haber-Bosch process has changed the agriculture and industry paradigm. Over 80% of the ammonia produced with the Haber-Bosch process
is used for fertilizers manufacturing (Erisman et al. 2008). Ammonia is also used
as a hydrogen storage medium, chemical feedstock, clean burning fuel for transportation and power generation sectors, and as refrigerant fluid. The feedstock
hydrogen is most produced from SMR of natural gas. The Haber-Bosch process
uses around 3%–5% of the world natural gas production, releasing 12 giga tons
yr −1 of CO 2 for a 400 million tons yr −1 of ammonia produced (L. Wang et al.
2018).
4.3.2 The Production of Methanol
The industrial production of methanol can be traced back to the 1920s. Methanol is synthetized from syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide
together with a small amount of carbon dioxide (2H 2 + CO → CH 3 OH; CO +
H 2 O → CO 2 + H 2 ; 3H 2 + CO 2 → CH 3 OH + H 2 o). The reaction is done in the
presence of metallic catalysts (commonly Cu/ZnO/AL 2 O 3 ) under harsh pressure
(5–35 MPa) and temperature (200–400 O C) conditions. Methanol production is
driven by the growing demands for its derivatives: olefins, formaldehyde, acetic
acid, dimethyl ether (DME), aromatics, gasoline, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).
China is the largest methanol producer globally with over 60% of the global
production (Xu et al. 2017).
70% of the methanol produced in China is coal based (De Pee et al. 2018).
However, the hydrogen used in the methanol synthesis process can also be from
SMR of natural gas. Syngas as waste-feed from ammonia production can also be
used (Andersson and Grönkvist 2019).
4 Scientific Literature Review for Establishing the Status …
4.3
The Use of Fossil Fuel-Based hydrogen in the Industry
4.3.1 The Production of Ammonia
Ammonia has been produced since the 1020s based on the Haber-Bosch process
(IEA 2017). The process consists on synthesizing reacting atmospheric dinitrogen
with hydrogen in the presence of iron at high pressures and temperatures (N 2 +
3H 2 ↔ 2NH 3 ). Originally designed to provide raw material for explosives to be
used in weapons, the Haber-Bosch process has changed the agriculture and industry paradigm. Over 80% of the ammonia produced with the Haber-Bosch process
is used for fertilizers manufacturing (Erisman et al. 2008). Ammonia is also used
as a hydrogen storage medium, chemical feedstock, clean burning fuel for transportation and power generation sectors, and as refrigerant fluid. The feedstock
hydrogen is most produced from SMR of natural gas. The Haber-Bosch process
uses around 3%–5% of the world natural gas production, releasing 12 giga tons
yr −1 of CO 2 for a 400 million tons yr −1 of ammonia produced (L. Wang et al.
2018).
4.3.2 The Production of Methanol
The industrial production of methanol can be traced back to the 1920s. Methanol is synthetized from syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide
together with a small amount of carbon dioxide (2H 2 + CO → CH 3 OH; CO +
H 2 O → CO 2 + H 2 ; 3H 2 + CO 2 → CH 3 OH + H 2 o). The reaction is done in the
presence of metallic catalysts (commonly Cu/ZnO/AL 2 O 3 ) under harsh pressure
(5–35 MPa) and temperature (200–400 O C) conditions. Methanol production is
driven by the growing demands for its derivatives: olefins, formaldehyde, acetic
acid, dimethyl ether (DME), aromatics, gasoline, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).
China is the largest methanol producer globally with over 60% of the global
production (Xu et al. 2017).
70% of the methanol produced in China is coal based (De Pee et al. 2018).
However, the hydrogen used in the methanol synthesis process can also be from
SMR of natural gas. Syngas as waste-feed from ammonia production can also be
used (Andersson and Grönkvist 2019).